Automatic collar-attaching necktie



April 4, 1939. o. M. NICHOLS AUTOMATIC GOLLAR-ATTACHI NG NECKTIE Fild Deb.

Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES AUTOMATIC COLLAR-ATTACHING NECKTIE Otto Monroe Nichols, Baxter Springs, Kans., assignor of one-half to W. R. Feemster, Chicago, Ill

Application December 22, 1937, Serial No. 181,178

3 Claims.

This invention relates to neckwear, and especially to a necktie provided with an automatic collar-attaching means, so the invention is entitled Automatic collar-attaching necktie.

One object of the invention is to provide a necktie that, by the inherent spring-action of its barbed attaching arms, veryquickly and securely attaches the necktie to the collar worn by the user of this invention, and especially to the inner strip or band of a turn-down collar, where the outer band of the collar hides the attachin means so that the necktie has the appearance of being attached by the usual strap, or strip that extends around the collar or the inner band thereof.

Another object is to encase the greater part of the attaching barbed spring within a flexible and pliable tube of fabric which may be, in whole or in part, composed of the fabric or material from which the necktie-front or main part of the necktie is made, not only for the sake of neatness, but also to prevent undue wearing of the collar-band by its contact with the metal strip which composes the barbed spring attaching means.

Another object is to provide a flexible but relatively un-pliable strip of material such as cardboard, Celluloid, or the like, within the pliable tube, and against the spring attaching means for the greater part of the length of the latter so as to prevent the pliable tube from collapsing against the edges of the spring attaching strip, while permitting it to collapse against the inner side of the attaching strip, so as to accommodate the thickness of the collapsed tube to the space between the inner and outer strips of the collar to which it is to be attached.

Another object is to provide, as an attaching element for a necktie, a substantially U-shaped flat strip of springy material having its ends looped and having needle-pointed spurs or barbs united therewith at points adjacent to the loops, for piercing a collar-band and thus serve as automatic attaching means.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the main portion of a necktie of the four-in-hand type including my improved attaching means in its normal out-ofuse position or relation.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the device shown in Fig. 1, in position on acollar-band and attached thereto by its spurs or barbs.

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, the sectional plane being indicated conventionally to distinguish between the fabric and the non-fabric parts.

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the application of a modified form of collar attaching spring assembled with a bow-type necktie or cravat; this view also showing the inner element or tie-frame in central, vertical longitudinal section, the fab-, ric of the bow-tie being illustrated conventionally as being in vertical longitudinal secton.

Fig. 5 is a modified form of the parts shown in Fig. 3, the sectional plane indicated conventionally, to distinguish the fabric from the nonfabric.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and. similar parts being referred to by similar reference numerals in the several views, the invention will now be described in detail as follows:

First referring to the four-in-hand type, the tie-strip I ll is of any suitable textile fabric or combination of fabrics such as would be left of an ordinary four-in-hand tie by severing it about midway its length and discarding the narrower, part, leaving the wider part; but in practice, the" tie-strips will be manufactured in the general shape of such wider half of the usual four-inhand tie; then, each tie-strip will be knotted in a manner similar to that employed by tie-salesmen, viz., laying the strip over a thumb of one hand, then turning the strip around itself so the smaller or narrower end is in back of the knot thus formed, and said narrower end may be secured in back of the knot by stitching or by any.

appropriate means; so, the resultant knot ll' includes a substantially tubular part l2, while the apron or pendant l3 extends through the lower end of the knot. v

The collar attaching device, in this form of the invention, consists of a substantially U-shaped spring M of flat wire having its ends formed into loops l5, and having needle-pointed barbs or spurs "5 adjacent to the looped ends and extending inward and downward towards the bent middle of the strip or length of flat wire. These barbs or spurs may be formed by striking them up from the edges, or from either edge, or from the intermediate parts of the strip, or may be united with the strip by any appropriate means. The parts of the strip containing the barbs are preferably inwardly bulged towards one another, so that the spurs or barbs do not all pierce the collar-band C at the same time and to the same depth, but rather, are arranged to selectively engage with the collar-band according to the size or diameter thereof.

The collar attaching device preferably, but not essentially, also includes a strip ll of flexible but substantially unpliable material which may be secured to the spring-strip I4, by any appropriate means for a purpose previously mentioned and for substantially centralizing the springstrip in the pliable fabric tube I8 or I811. The tube I 8 shows a seam formed by stitching; whereas, the tube |8a is seamless, being in the form of a scroll, and the edges being secured in place by any suitable adhesive 20 which may also be applied entirely around the joint of the scroll.

The sizes of the parts M to 20 are greatly exaggerated in the drawing, for the sake of making them distinct when the drawing is reduced in size; but in practice, in manufacture and in use, all these parts may be reduced to the sizes found to be most practical.

The ends of the pliable tube are secured to the loops |5 by stitching or other appropriate means, leaving the barbs exposed; or if preferable, the loops l5 may be made so small as to be confined within the closed ends of the tube, or such loops may be eliminated, and. the barbs may protrude through the meshes of the fibre. However, the loops are preferable for enlarging the ends of the strip |4 so as to combine with the outer band of a turn-down collar for pressing the barbs into the inner band of the collar.

As shown in the drawing, the bent middle part of the pliable tube, with the parts l4 and l therein, is seated within the tubular part |2 of the knot, and as the knot may be tightened thereon by pulling the pendant l3, there is no necessity for stitching or applying adhesive to the joint between these parts l2 and M. Moreover, by loosening the knot II, the collar-attaching means may be released from the knot, so as to be withdrawn and used with another tie-front l0, and thus interchanged at will of the user. It will be seen therefore, that the parts M to l8 and |8a constitute a necktie-attachment as well as a collar-attaching means for a necktie.

In the bow-tie, shown in Fig. 4, the woven fabric or imitation thereof, representing a bow, is shown conventionally at Illa, the knot, at Ila; and within thisbow is a frame or form 2|, preferably U-shaped in cross section. The springstrip |4a is preferably bent at opposite sides of its longitudinal center to provide shoulders Mb. Pins 22 are seated against the shoulders Nb and extend through the punctured walls of the frame 2|, thereby securing the middle part of the spring-strip tothe frame 2|. In general, the members l4 and 4a are substantially the same and perform the same function. The parts I! and I8 or |8a may be used in connection with the spring-strip I la, for the purposes mentioned; or these parts may be eliminated from the springstrip l4 when a less expensive device is wanted.

In view of the foregoing disclosure, and of the modifications shown in the drawing, it is obvious that my invention is not limited to the spe cific details here shown and described, for the invention is susceptible of various changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a collar attaching device for a necktie, the combination of a substantially U-shaped fiat spring-strip provided with needle-pointed barbs that extend inward toward one another from opposite end portions of the strip for entering a collar-band under pressure of the spring-strip, and a pliable tube having the greater part of said U-shaped spring-strip enclosed therein and havings its ends secured in place at the respective ends of said. spring-strip, the middle part of said collar-attaching device being adapted for engagement with the knot of a necktie in proper relation for securing said knot in place at the front of the collar-band.

2. In a collar-attaching device for a necktie, the combination of a substantially U-shaped fiat and narrow spring-strip provided with needlepointed barbs near its end portions and extending inward towards one another for entering the opposite sides of a collar-band under pressure of the spring strip, a strip of flexible and substantially unpliable material wider than the said spring-strip and disposed with one of its sides against said spring-strip substantially throughout its length, and a pliable tube enclosing the wider strip and the greater part of the length of said U-shaped spring-strip, the middle part of said pliable tube and its contents being adapted to engage with a knot of a necktie in a proper re-" lation for securing said knot in place at the front of a collar-band.

3. In an interchangeable attachment for the purpose specified, the combination defined by claim 1, the middle part of said U-shaped springstrip being substantially straight for a distance substantially equal to the width of the part of the knot to be engaged therewith, substantially as shown, and the parts of said U-shaped springstrip at the ends of the straight middle portion being abruptly curved so the spring strip imparts a resultant and corresponding straightness and curvature to the pliable tube and so the latter can be embraced within the knot by tightening the latter and freed from the knot by loosening the latter for interchanging the collar-attaching device with different necktie fronts.

O'I'I'O MONROE NICHOLS. 

